Back to Deyeaz's Profile Deyeaz's Profile

(NOTE: THIS WAS REMOVED PREVIOUSLY DUE TO LACK OF EPISODES WATCHED, SO AN UPDATE TO THIS REVIEW IS REQUIRED IN ORDER FOR IT TO STAY UP.)

Kyoto Animation, as a studio, has pretty much sated our hunger for anime, and a lot of the stuff they make is usually great. But every now and again, they hit a rut: they make an anime that's so bad, bland, and/or boring, that they try and cover up that anime's mediocre fanservice, unmemorable soundtrack, bad characters, worse character development with a pseudo-interesting take on its genre, beautiful art, and flashy effects. Notice the keyword "try." If you're smart and ... alert, you can catch KyoAni red-handed. We've seen it with Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!, we've seen it with Free! Iwatobi Swim Club; we've also seen it with spinoffs of rather successful/respectable KyoAni works, such as Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu, K-On!, and Hyouka.

Musaigen no Phantom World is no different. Once starting off as a very good manga, its anime adaptation behaved as Pupa did, in the sense that it failed to meet the standards of its manga predecessor.

Story: 5/10

Musaigen no Phantom World is basically just another show that Kyoto Animation slips up on, and tried to cover up with some fat anime tiddies and lolis. While the story that Musaigen concocted sounded great in theory - humans being able to see and interact with supernatual entities known as Phantoms due to a research facility bombing spreading a virus that gives humans this ability - the execution was rather lacking. There have been other anime out there where people can interact with otherworldly beings... but they do the job better... Like Mushishi. Hell, I think even InuYasha did it better: that show's cast at least had to JUMP through a bunch of flaming hoops to get to their goal.

I think Musaigen's story started to tank when KyoAni defaulted to the boring high school setting, and not coming up with an original, or a not-so-overused setting. It was even exacerbation by giving a select few characters in the show super powers, in a sense. In hindsight... it wasn't exactly the best idea. It wasn't even a good idea. They're not just abilities, but they're... "special" abilities. Because having a teddy bear grow to ten times its size to fight for you, and rubbing your jugs to try and use the "element of fire from your heart" is definitely what I call "special."

Art: 8/10

I gotta give it to Kyoto Animation: they know to make even some of their worst works look really, REALLY good. I feel bad to constantly roast them like this, since Musaigen's art has been proven to be very well done. The effects are very nice, too, and everything in the show feels really vibrant. I haven't experienced good visual quality like it since Hyouka or Hibike! Euphonium.

Their art and visual effects might have been their saving grace if everything else was better. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

Sound: 6/10

Musaigen has fairly decent sound as well as their art. The sound effects of fight scenes between the characters and the Phantoms, the battle roars/cries of the Phantoms during these fights, the small little lilts of noise of each character's abilities; all of them are relatively decent. Sadly, Musaigen's SOUNDTRACK proves to be an issue: the OP and EP are both rather unmemorable and grating to the ears. The music during the fight scenes are heavily forgotten about as well, because of the visual effects that mesmerise us and distract us overall. Argh, damn you, beautiful graphics!

Characters: 2/10

Here we go, folks. We're at my least favourite part... or favourite. It is long, after all, so I guess it depends on whether or not you think I enjoy ranting about dreadful characters in Musaigen no Phantom World. Characters make up everything for the anime, from how we perceive them to how they develop from beginning to end. But Musaigen's characters are, for lack of a better term... trash.

Haruhiko Ichijou is our main male protagonist, in a cast that is overrun with attractive females (and a loli.) That alone should already be ringing a loud angry alarm in your head to a nice, roaring 10 exawatts. He's basically the nerdy kid that gets ragged on by his peers for bearing too much "useless" information. While he has the ability to banish and summon Phantoms by quickly drawing them in his sketchbook, the first half of his special power is pretty much made null and void by Izumi Reina, who we will be getting to shortly. Thus, Haruhiko has become what we label a "cuck" after the first few episodes. He does undergo mild improvement, but nothing whatsoever that appears to get rid of that NTR nature that shows he'll still get dumpster'd by his friends.

Haruhiko's annoying Phantom companion, Ruru, is basically a huge-chested Navi that's just blitzed on the strongest strain of amphetamines. She's cute to look at, but will cause the aneurysm in your head to swell more and more by the minute. I honestly thought she would be more levelheaded by the end, but unfortunately, that ain't the case.

Kawakami Mai is the large-breasted female MC. Is that alarm from earlier getting louder in your head? Well, we're not even halfway done yet, so buckle up even further. She's an unoriginal character, quite frankly: large jugs, awesome feats of strength, seemingly perfect and adored by her peers: she's basically Medaka from Medaka Box, but blonde. Her ability lets her rub her body parts, namely her rack and her hips, to summon an element from their respective spots to fight Phantoms with... it's like a sensual version of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Booooring, next.

Izumi Reina, another female MC, is basically the "ojou-sama" of the show, with her soft-spoken demeanor, proper manners, strict parents, and her urge of saying "How dare you!" every time Haruhiko gets too close to her goodies (because those are the apparent perks of being a male in a harem-like anime), resulting in her cucking - I mean, decking him. Her ability allows her to banish Phantoms by devouring them, and this not only cucks Haruhiko even more, but of course this has to interfere with her personal life: she has an unrealistic appetite, and can eat anyone under the table, but she never has enough money. She's not a boring character by any means, but that doesn't mean she's not generic in terms of her personality and traits.

Minase Koito is yet another female MC in this ragtag harem of misfits. I can somewhat empathise with her: listening to music and being alone is what I do on a daily basis. However, she's basically just the generic "lone wolf" character who underwent ostracisation because she's more of a rebel/thug for her peers to handle. Her ability lets her use singing to combat Phantoms She's... okay, in the sense that she is cute, independent and can be kind of a badass at times, but her inability to warm up to others in reasonable time puts her behind greatly.

Kumamakura Kurumi is the shy lolita supporting character. I... I have to roast her. I can't NOT do it. First of all, this character is ten years old, and she still brings her teddy bear, Albrecht, to school. In one episode, she underwent PTSD harder than a war veteran at the peak of his 'Nam flashbacks because she *lost her bear* only to have the apparent psychedelic trip she's obviously on go into full swing when the teddy bear started talking to her in a magical land filled with giant mushrooms, because of, you guessed it, those darn Phantoms meddling in peoples' business! Second of all, her hair makes me pop a blood vessel in my eye harder than the filthy lolicons can pop a stiffy to hentai of her. She legitimately looks as though she woke up and called downstairs, "Hey, mom! Can I look like a praying mantis today?" It's even worse because her character was cute, to the point where I'm sickened by it all, and her development as a character is only slight, with her shy demeanor being a less crippling obstacle for her by a minute amount.

As you can tell, I have a deep-rooted loathing/disappointment for some of these characters. What is even more hilarious is that KyoAni tries to that thing, that really annoying thing where they make the harem aspect more harem-y by poking fun at the bonds between Haruhiko and the girls, like "when are they gonna go out/get married?"

Enjoyment: 4/10

Despite me ragging on Musaigen for its awful cast, I guess it's...fun? I mean, I guess that's all it is, like Chuunibyou was. The humour that Musaigen brought to the table was more or less hit or miss with a lot of the audience. It wasn't gut-busting when you did get it, either: it was just a little chuckle, or slightly more air escaping your nostrils. It was more or less cute girls doing cute things with a guy being thrown into awkward and risque situations for comedic relief. As a grown man who has undergone tons of cute girls doing cute things with Yuru Yuri, School-Live!, Kiniro Mosaic, Love Lab, and more, to be turned off from watching something with that many incorporations of moe-trash in it defeats me, really. Still, it is what I classify as fun, using the word "fun" as loosely as possible.

Overall: 5/10 ((5+8+6+2+4)/5 = 5)

It's average, at best. The sound is okay and the art is amazing. However, the music was rather lacklustre, the story could have been executed in a much better way, and the characters absolutely sucked. It's enjoyable only when you're making fun of it, honestly. KyoAni came up to bat, and while they did try to provide a very good show, it just became something that was namby-pamby, wishy-washy, and relatively bland like unflavoured tofu. All I can say is that at least they tried. But it wasn't their best, not by a long shot.

Ohohohohohoho..... I'm still in stitches.

Ever since my first review of Meganebu!, I've been looking to try out another one. Ore no Nounai Sentakushi ga, Gakuen Love Comedy wo Zenryoku de Jama Shiteiru, or NouCome, is one that I've been the most inclined to write about after finishing it. Downright hilarious, with vivid colouring, lovable characters, and a sense of immense euphoria when you watch, I recommend NouCome as your next anime to watch. And here's why!

*Epic fanfare of credible facts/popular opinions (Not sure what that'd sound like, honestly)*

STORY - 6/10

Story goes like this: A high-school boy, Kanade Amakusa, is suffering from a psychological torture he ... dubs "Absolute Choice", where an entity enters his head and forces him to make a choice between two things; failure to comply would result in migraine-level head pains until he made the choice. The sad (and gut-busting) thing, though, is that these choices that he makes are usually disgusting, perverted, and generally weird, causing his popularity to go down drastically, until he becomes a part of the Reject Five of his high school. And so, Kanade, along with his friends (of a mainly female cast), set out on a ten-episode joyride of hilarity to cure his Absolute Choice ailment.

Now... NouCome technically has no plot. It's like... nonexistent. Zip. Nada. Nicht. Zilch. *However*... the creators of NouCome utilise this lack of plot to constantly dish its viewers a huge dose of comedy and laughs, and that's good, because like with some animes like Eyeshield 21 or Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita, you wouldn't just watch an anime for just primarily the plot: you'd watch it for the conflict, the tension, the suspense, the romance (if any), and the lulz. That's what you oughta do for NouCome if you want to get more of a kick out of it. Otherwise, you'll get a bit bored with it.

ART - 8/10

The art of NouCome is very pretty. It's nice, it's lush, the animations is smooth and fluid, and the character designers don't have to actually draw their characters in chibi form or in a simplistic manner to indicate moments of comedy like in a lot of animes (e.g.:Nichijou, Lucky Star, Working!!, etc.) While not absolutely god-tier, it's still a sight for sore eyes after a long day.

SOUND - 7/10

NouCome has a nice little array of music and sound effects. Their catchy opening theme by Afilia Saga, along with their ending theme by TWO-FORMULA (produced by Saeko Zougou and Chocolat's voice actor Kaori Sadohara), accompany this anime well like cream cheese on a bagel. The BGM is appropriate for whatever moments in the anime occur, and the sound effects are well executed.

CHARACTER - 10/10 (Wowzers!)

Oh, man....

It was hard to pick favourite characters from this anime, because I just liked them all. Heck, even the background characters get some love from me b/c of the hilarious stuff they say when Kanade gets all weird due to Absolute Choice.

But, I'll list some. You've got Kanade Amakusa, the male protagonist with Absolute Choice on the brain; Yuuouji Ouka, a dear friend of Kanade, an eccentric and overall happy girl, and the daughter of UOG company's president; Furano Yukihira, a girl with a weird sense of humour and who loves to verbally abuse Kanade; There's Chocolat, the girl who fell from the heavens upon one fateful Absolute Choice, and will eat anything and everything of confectionery tastes as she resides with Kanade as his "pet" (Yep, she's like a bishoujo form of Gluttony from FMA); Yuragi Hakoniwa, the "imouto" of pretty much every single character in NouCome because she feels like it. There's also the Charagami (Flippant God) who calls Kanade and gives him his missions to get rid of Absolute Choice, Kanade's teacher who looks like a kid, has experienced Absolute Choice and cured herself of it; the Popular Five of the school; and so many more.

I could go on, and on, and on.... But I won't. You should experience it for yourselves, after all.

ENJOYMENT - 10/10 (Another one?!)

This anime is really enjoyable. I kid you not. Right next to Kuroshitsuji, Toradora!, Nichijou, and several others I can list, NouCome has reserved a special place in my little heart of ice. The romantic comedy that it constantly smacks you around with is *REALLY* difficult to take with a straight face. By the third episode (if not the first or second), you WILL be laughing as hard as I did.

OVERALL - 10/10 (Triple whammy, baby!)

Pound for pound, I absolutely adored NouCome. The funny array of characters, the neat looking art style, the lack of a plot being exploited for absolute hilarity, and even the attempts at romance that end up in a trainwreck of lulz; all of it. I was so pleased to watch this, and I think you will be, too, folks.

So... choose.

[ ] - Watch Ore no Nounai Sentakushi ga, Gakuen Love Comedy wo Zenryoku de Jama Shiteiru (NouCome)
[ ] - Do not watch Ore no Nounai Sentakushi ga, Gakuen Love Comedy wo Zenryoku de Jama Shiteiru (NouCome)

Now, allow me to explain Meganebu! in a mildly-large nutshell: an under-budgeted club with an intense adoration for glasses try to complete their project of making X-Ray Glasses, all the while intensifying the love for glasses and getting the unfair School Council to boost their budget in order to make their project a success. Sounds short and simple, right?

*BZZZT* Wrong!

Meganebu! is a bit more than that. This twelve-episode joyride of an anime fuses five boys' love for glasses with a great amount of comedy, shenanigans, conflicts, X-Ray Glasses failures (Usually ending with explosions) and overall hilarity. I'm gonna go more in-depth here, so sit ... your butts down, grab a snack, drink, or what have you, and get ready to read the most amateurish first review of my life.

STORY - 7/10

The story of Meganebu! is actually fairly basic, like I mentioned earlier. The five members of the Glasses Club all want to complete their X-Ray Glasses to present to Hima high and boost their club budget (and peep on pretty girls), but with each time they make them, comes the bitter taste of failure.

Even worse so, the Hima Student Council is pulling shady tactics to make sure the members of the Glasses Club disbands by crushing their passion for glasses. Along the way we encounter loads of laughs, a fair amount of conflict, and general enjoyment as we watch, as well as sympathy from glasses-wearers like me as we watch the boys discuss the things you ought to do to keep your glasses in perfect shape.

ART - 9/10

I was astounded by the lush art and vivid imagery that Meganebu! contained. It had a very nice fusion of colours that meshed together beautifully. Given that I'm a junkie for art like this, it kinda wow'd me to see how lush and vibrant the colouring, lighting, and shading for both characters and environments were to make the art as greatly detailed as it is. (I'm mildly reminded of the way Kyoto Animations designed the water in Free!, so that's also a bonus!)

SOUND - 8/10

Given that director Soubi Yamamoto incorporated more explosions in this anime than any Michael Bay film, of course the sound effects have to be of a great quality; otherwise, it'd just be cheesy poofs of colour. Not to mention Mucc's excellent opening song and Tomohisa Sako's gloriously catchy ending theme tipped the scales in positive favour for the anime. The background music is also a great thing to listen to as you watch, as it can fit the situations fairly well, whether they're a moment of suspense, action, or just straight-up shits and giggles.

CHARACTER - 7/10

The main cast of Meganebu! consists of five boys in the Glasses Club (After all, the anime's title does translate to Glasses Club): Akira Souma, the eccentric president leader with an especially deep admiration for glasses; Yukiya Minabe, the stoic intellectual member of the club and Akira's childhood friend; Takumi Hachimine, the rather airheaded member who loves cream puffs almost as much as glasses; Mitsuki Kamatani, who was introduced to the world of glasses by Akira himself, so he's developed a deep admiration for Akira; and last but not least, Hayato Kimata: the provisional member of the club due to (the creators' running joke of) him wearing fake glasses.

With a neat little amount of side characters such as the two more reoccurring teachers Shirogane and Kyousuke, the Hima Council that everyone can't help but get a kick out of despite their antagonistic roles, and even a lunch lady who would later teach them the vital value of proper nutrition and eating habits, this sets up the stages for these twelve episodes very well, providing obstacles and ways to overcome them.

What's also nice is how the unimportant characters that we don't need to learn about are two-dimensional white figurines dressed in whatever the situations and settings are; yet we still hear them speaking and doing actions, which indicates that they aren't just animate props, but humans with their own lives to go about and own stuff to do.

ENJOYMENT - 7/10

At first, I was a bit skeptical to watch this, not because of how it looks or its synopsis, but because of the animes I already had on my plate at the time. However, I made time, and I gotta say, I enjoyed starting up this anime. This was a fun anime to watch, and I'm glad I got the chance to watch it.

OVERALL - 8/10

If simple math didn't give away the final score, I don't know why you're reading this in the first place.... I kid, I kid. Moving on. So yeah, the story, the art, the sound, the characters, and my amusement overall brought the calculations to a 7.6/10 (or 8, if you're lazy and like rounding). This show deserves this score for good reasons. It's not the best, but it's a damn sight more enjoyable than a certain amount out there right now.